Raspberry Mocha Layer Cake

Ingredients

• Cake

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened but still cool
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups + 2 T. cake flour, plus more for dusting pans
• 1-1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup. cocoa powder
• 1 T. instant coffee powder
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 T. vanilla extract

• Raspberry Cream Filling

• 4 oz. White “chocolate” Morsels
• 3 T. heavy cream
• 2 T. butter
• 4 T. Seedless black raspberry jam
• 4 oz. package cream cheese, softened
• 4 tsp. powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract

• Chambord Dark Chocolate Ganache Frosting

• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tbls. butter
• 8 oz. Semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 4 tsp. Chambord (raspberry) Liquor

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease and flour 3 8” square cake pans. Beat the butter at medium-high speed until smooth and shiny, about 30 seconds. Gradually sprinkle in the sugar; beat until the mixture is fluffy and almost white, approx. 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating 1 full minute after each addition. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Combine the milk, buttermilk, and vanilla in a separate measuring cup. With the mixer at the lowest speed, add about a third of the dry ingredients followed by a third of the milk mixture; continue until all the ingredients are incorporated. Scrape sides of the bowl and mix 15 seconds longer until the batter is satiny. Divide into the 3 pans. Spread the top smooth. Bake for 23-30 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick or when the cake springs back in the center when pressed lightly. Let cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Loosen sides from the pans and invert on wire racks. Brush a thin layer (about 4 T.) of warmed Raspberry jam on the cakes after cooled, before frosting.
2. For the Raspberry Cream Filling: Melt butter and heat cream over medium heat in a double boiler. Add white morsels and stir constantly until melted. Cool slightly. In a separate bowl whip the cream cheese, almond extract and sugar until fluffy. Add the jam. Stir into the butter, cream, and morsels mixture. Cool. Spread filling between the layers of cake.
3. For the Chambord Dark Chocolate Ganache Frosting: Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan. Allow the cream to come to a rolling boil. Put chocolate chips in a large bowl. Pour the cream over chocolate chips. Let sit for 1 minute, and then slowly stir the mixture for 2 minutes until the chocolate is completely incorporated. Add Chambord Liquor. Stir slowly until the liquor is incorporated. Let the frosting set up until thick enough to frost cake, approx. 1-2 hours in the refrigerator or 3-4 hours at room temperature.
4. Optional Decoration: Decorate with colored candy melts with an icing tip in the shape of coffee cups, if desired.